If there is a take-away message from the $8.5 billion deal in which Actavis is going to buy Warner-Chilcott, it would be that taxes matter. How so? As part of the acquisition, Actavis is going to declare its new headquarters will be in Ireland, where the drugmaker can pay significantly less corporate tax. This year, for instance, Actavis can expect to pay roughly 28 percent in corporate taxes, but by reincorporating across the pond, its tax rate will drop to about 17 percent. And this boosts Actavis in different ways, according to analysts. “They were at a little competitive disadvantage for deals,” says David Maris, managing director of specialty pharmaceuticals at BMO Capital Markets. “Competitors with lower tax rates can afford to buy products at higher prices, but now they can absorb (deals) into a lower tax jurisdiction… So they not just pay lower taxes today, but also benefit in future deals.